Foot-actuated throttle device



March 21, 1939. HElsLvEiR 2,150,972

FOOT-ACTUATED THROTTLE DEVICE Filed Oct 4, 1957 Patented Mar. 21, 1939 2,150,972

UNITED STATEfi r ATENT OFFICE.

FOOT-ACTUATED THROTTLE DEVICE Harry F. Heisler, Waterloo, Iowa Application October 4, 1937, Serial No. 167,237

3 Claims. (Cl. 74-482) Tractors for farming and other purposes are on top of which pivoted a foot throttle lever at the present time equipped with a hand 0011- H. A part of the frame 16 is turned inwardly trolled throttle for regulating their speed of ad forming a base 18, and this base is shaped to vance. In many instances, and especially in farmrest upon the adjacent portion of the tractor 5 ing with tractor drawn cultivators, planters, etc, frame and be clamped thereto by the bolt i9 5 the hands of the operator are engaged in conwhich is seated in the tractor frame. Mounted trolling such other implements and conseon top of this base member I8 is a sheet metal quently the speed of the tractor is not always angle bar 28, one end of which rests upon the properly controlled resulting in inefficient farmbase member 58 and is held in position by the m ing operations. belt l9, and the other part extends upwardly and 10 The object of my invention is to provide a has a bolt 25 fixed therein by the nuts 22. foot throttle device of simple and inexpensive Mounted upon this bolt El is a bell crank lever construction especially designed to be readily, to one end of which is pivoted an upright rod quickly and easily applied by an unskilled operfi l which extends upwardly through the frame ator to an ordinary tractor as an accessory, and l ember l5 and into engagement with the foot 15' when thus applied, to give to the operator full throttle lever ii, and to the other end of the bell control of the tractor speed at such time as his crank lever 23 is attached a rod 25.

hands may be occupied with control of other The second unit for attachment to the engine parts of the tractor or implement being drawn control throttle lever ll, comprises an arm 21 by the tractor. having a U-shaped loop 28 designed to receive 20 Referring to the accompanying drawing, the lever H and to be adjustably fixed thereto Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a part of a by means of the bolt 29. Connected to the throttractor having my improved foot actuated throttie lever ii is a rod 3Q which extends transtle device applied thereto. versely of the tractor and is attached to the third Figure 2 shows a front end elevation of same. unit of my device hereinafter described. Con- 25 Figure 3 shows an enlarged detail side elevanected to the red 52- is a contractile coil spring tion illustrating the foot throttle unit. 32 which extends across the tractor frame and Figure 4 shows a top or plan view of a portion is detachably secured to a part of the tractor of a tractor having my improved device applied frame. 30 thereto. The third unit of my improvement comprises 30 Figure 5 shows an enlarged detail front elea bell crank lever 32 pivoted to a part of the vation of my improved foot actuated throttle tractor frame and having one of its arms pivoted unit, to the rod 30. This other arm is connected by Figure 6 shows an enlarged detail side view of the rod 25 with the bell crank lever 23. 35 my improved unit for connecting the foot ac- When it is desired to apply my improvement 35 tuated throttle device with the throttle lever. to an ordinary tractor it is only necessary to re- Figure 7 shows a sectional view taken on the move one of the tractor frame bolts I9, place the line 7-1 of Figure 6; and foot pedal unit and the angle bar 20 in position,

Figure 8 shows a detail side view of the adand then return the bolt to its position for lockjustable rod for connecting the foot pedal device ing this unit in place. Then the operator ap- 4 to the throttle lever. piles the arm 2'5 to the engine throttle control In the accompanying drawing I have used the lever ii, and he finally connects the bell crank reference numeral Hi to indicate generally the lever 32 with a part of the tractor frame and frame of a tractor having a lever H for controlap e s 3!! a d 5 to the be l crank lever.

ling the tractor throttle. This lever is normally Ai of this obviously may be done very quickly 45 connected to a rod I2. connected to a crank asily, and regardless of the size or shape of I 3 fixed to the shaft l4 to which the ordinary he tractor the rods 3% and 25 may be readily and hand-controlled throttle lever i5 is applied. This easily cut to the right length and applied to the part of the equipment is that customarily in use bell crank lever 32. After the device has thus on tractors. been applied. the operator then adjusts the po- 50 My improvement comprises three units, the sition of the arm 2'! relative to the throttle lever first of which I have called the pedal control it and then secures it in that position by tightthrottle unit. It comprises a plate metal frame er ng the bolt 28. In this way the operator can IS, the top of which, as shown in Figure 1, ina ply the desired amount of spring tension to clines upwardly away from the drivers seat, and the foot control lever so that either the foot control lever or the hand control lever oi the tractor may be used by the operator and, hence, under such conditions where the operators hands are 'busily engaged with other parts of the apparaby a cotter pin I 21). The lower portion of the.

rod 12 has its upper end slidingly inserted in the lower end of the sleeve 12a and its lower end is pivoted to the arm 2?, as shown in Figure 6. By this means the lever l5 may be operated by hand in the ordinary manner. When, however,

it is desired to operate the throttle lever H by,

the pedal, the lower end of the rod IE will slide freely within the sleeve IZQ' and the throttle lever I I will be moved by the pedal in one direction to open position and the spring 3i will move the throttle lever H to closed position.

I claim as my invention:

1. A foot actuated throttle device for tractors having a hand actuated throttle device including a throttle lever for controlling the engine speed, comprising a foot throttle unit consisting of a frame to be bolted to a tractor frame, a pedal hinged to the frame, a bell crank lever pivoted to the frame, an actuating rod pivoted to the bell crank lever and projected up through and guided by said frame and in engagement with the pedal, a second unit designed to be fixed to the tractor throttle lever and comprising an arm, means for detachably and adjustab'ly fixing it to said throttle lever, means for operatively connecting said throttle lever with said bell crank lever, and a spring 1" or normally holding said throttle lever closed and the foot pedal elevated.

2. A foot actuated throttle device for tractors having hand actuated throttle device including a throttle lever for controlling the engine speed, comprising a foot throttle unit consisting of a frame to be bolted to a tractor frame, a pedal hinged to the frame, an angle plate within said frame, a bolt extended through the angle plate and said frame and designed to be secured to a tractor frame, a bell crank lever fulcrumed to said angle plate, a throttle rod connected to said bell crank and extended upwardly through and guided by said frame and in engagement with the said pedal, a second unit comprising an arm having a U-shaped extension at one end to pass around the throttle lever of a tractor, a bolt passed through said arm and extension. for detachably and adjustably securing said arm to the throttle lever, and a third unit comprising a bell crank lever to be fulcrumed to a tractor frame, rods connecting it With said throttle lever and with the bell crank lever of the foot throttle unit, and a spring for normally holding said throttle lever in its normally inoperative position.

3. A foot actuated throttle device for tractors having a hand actuated throttle device including a throttle lever for controlling the engine speed, a hand operated lever for controlling said throttle lever, comprising a foot throttle unit consisting of a frame to be bolted to a tractor frame, a pedalhinged to the frame, an angle plate within said frame, a bolt extended through the angle plate and said frame and designed to be secured to a tractor frame, a bell crank lever fulcrumed to angle plate, a throttle rod connected to said bell crank and extended upwardly through and guided by said frame and in engagement with the said pedal, a second unit comprising an arm having a U-shaped extension -at one end to pass around the throttle lever of a tractor, a bolt passed through said arm and extension for detachably and adjustably securing said arm to the throttle lever, and a third unit comprising a bell crank lever to be fulcrumed to a tractor frame, rods connecting it with said throttle lever and with the bell crank lever of the foot throttle unit, a spring for normally holding said throttle lever in its normally inoperative position, and means for operatlvely connecting said hand oper ated lever with said throttle lever, comprising two rods having a limited sliding connection, one rod being operatively connected to the said hand operated lever and the other to the said arm, whereby the hand operated lever may move the said throttle lever to open position and the said spring will move it to closed position.

HARRY F. HEISLER. 

